DUBAI/SHARJAH/ABU DHABI/AL AIN: At least four people were killed and 12 others injured in road crashes during heavy rains in Dubai and Sharjah. Hundreds of accidents were reported from different parts of the emirates due to bad weather during the weekend. Two people were killed and 11 sustained injuries in seven traffic accidents that occurred from Saturday morning to Sunday morning in Dubai. Police reported some 60 traffic accidents in just three hours on Sunday from 10am to 1pm.

UAE: A larger than expected number of illegal immigrants has left the country during the two-month (December 4 to February 4) amnesty, according to authorities.A number of embassies, immigration authorities and the Ministry of Interior called the amnesty campaign, which ends today, a success.

DUBAI: The UAE Cabinet has approved an extradition agreement that the Gulf nation had signed with India for facilitating the transfer of Indian convicts to spend the remaining jail term in their home country. The agreement, which was signed by the two countries in November last year, is expected to help around 1,200 Indian prisoners who have been languishing in UAE prisons.

ABU DHABI: A two month amnesty is granted to illegal residents to leave the country without penalties or regularise their visas, Major General Nasser Awadi Al Menhali, Assistant Undersecretary for Naturalization, Residency and Ports Affairs has announced.

Saradhi Kuwait celebrated 158th birthday of Sree Narayana Guru on August 31, 2012. Hundreds of people attended the prayer followed by Swami Visalanda’s talk and offerings. Swami’s talk was full of spirituality and history that attracted the audience and was very much impressive. Swami explained the relevance of Guru’s messages in contemporary life.

LuLu hypermarket , one of the largest retail shopping chains in the GCC recently conducted recently blood donation campaign in association with Dubai Blood donation center. The event took place at three Lulu Hypermarkets at Barsha, Arabian centre and Quasis in association with Dubai blood donation center.

DUBAI: Recent tests on water quality of private residential pools in Dubai have revealed a shocking reality: a number of them are infested with bacteria, posing health risk to pool users. Coliforms, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and Fecal Streptococcus – ever heard these names before? They are commonly found bacteria in Dubai pools – perhaps the very pool your child is swimming in.

The accident took place in Al Rams area of Ras Al Khaimah at 5am. A 26-year-old Emirati national, identified as Mohammed Saif, who was recently appointed a government employee in Dubai, was speeding when he lost control of his 4WD while trying to avoid a cat that ran across the road. The vehicle collided with the bus coming from the opposite direction, causing the death of four workers who were on their way to work at a construction site. There were 25 workers on the bus.

DUBAI: A total of 27 schools in Dubai have applied for a fee increase to the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), following the announcement of a new fee framework last month. Mohammad Darwish, chief of Regulations and Compliance Commission, told Khaleej Times, “KHDA will be directly in touch with the schools on the status of their fee change requests. The schools will in turn engage with the parents to inform them of the approved increase.”

MANAMA: Kuwait has reiterated its warning to people to limit their barbecues to allocated areas, saying that violators will be forced to pay KD1,000 fines.
The new fines mark a dramatic increase from the KD100 previously imposed for breaking the rules on barbecue locations. The authorities decided to increase the fine after they noted that some citizens and residents were not deterred by the soft penalties and did not abide by the public cleanliness laws, Ahmad Al Sebeeh, the Director-General

DUBAI: The Dubai Police have denied reports that appeared in international media that the over $1-million super car, Ferrari Enzo, abandoned by its owner 20 months ago in Dubai, is up for sale. There are a few cases still in the court regarding Enzo and 51 other luxury cars seized by various authorities in Dubai and procedures

DUBAI: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) announced the second international edition of TCS IT Wiz competition for UAE schools, which will be held on April 28 at the Sheikh Rashid Auditorium in Indian High School, Dubai. With an aim to nurture and develop local talent, the quiz is open to UAE school students of grades 8 to 12. Schools can send multiple teams of two members as 120 teams from 24 schools have already registered for the quiz.

A day-old baby had a miraculous escape in Sharjah on Tuesday after being thrown by his mother down a garbage chute from the ninth floor of an apartment building and landing in a garbage container. The baby’s mother, a 26-year-old Filipina maid, threw the baby from her employer’s building in Al Majaz area. The watchman discovered the baby inside a garbage bag in the trash at 5pm

Abu Dhabi’s second communications satellite was sent successfully into the orbit early morning on Tuesday, from a space station in Kazakhstan. A Mubadala Development Company unit, Al Yah Satellite Communications Company or Yahsat, confirmed that the launch of Y1B took place at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan at 2.18am, Abu Dhabi time.

Dubai: Indian and Pakistani schools will not be affected by the unified holidays for schools recently announced by the Ministry of Education, said a senior official yesterday. The schools from both countries will continue to follow the same calendar they have been following for years, with schools starting in April and ending in March the following year, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) clarified on Tuesday.

BAHRAIN: Anti-government protesters in Bahrain flooded a main highway in a march stretching for miles and security forces fired tear gas in breakaway clashes as the country's leaders struggle to contain opposition anger ahead of the Grand Prix. The government allowed the massive Friday demonstration in an apparent bid to avoid the hit-and-run street battles that are the hallmark of the Gulf nation's 14-month uprising – and an embarrassing spectacle for Bahrain's Western-backed rulers as F1

AL ALI: Thunderstorm and scattered showers hit different parts of UAE giving a sigh of relief to the people who have just faced one of the driest winters. The rain was, though, not considered as sufficient by forecasters offered something to enjoy in cities such as Dubai and Al Ain and the eastern and northern emirates.

DUBAI: Several parents, whose children study at Global Indian International School (GIIS) Dubai, have expressed concern over a change in identity announced by the school's management recently. GIIS was launched in 2009 under a franchise agreement between Scoreplus Education

Al Ain: Weekend weather will remain cloudy, with a chance of rain on Saturday in the western and coastal areas of the UAE, according to the national weather bureau. The amount of clouds is likely to increase in coastal and western areas at times. The sea will be moderately rough with moderate winds in general, said the National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS).

SHARJAH: His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, stressed that the residential districts in the emirate will be only for families and bachelors will be prevented from residing there.

ABU DHABI: Employment contracts of Indian workers will now be attested online, a move which will make the process transparent and safeguard workers' rights, Saqr Gobash Saeed Gobash, Minister of Labour, said Wednesday. Workers can review the terms of the contract and approve them before leaving India for the UAE.

MANAMA: Saudi Arabia's Shura Council has turned down a proposal to tax foreigners on the money they make in the kingdom.
"The Council heard views from those who supported the proposal and those who opposed it," Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al Ghamdi, the Council's secretary-general, said.

MANAMA: A young Bahraini man was sentenced to one month in prison for crossdressing in public. The man was walking down a busy road while wearing a wig and shorts and had heavy mascara around his eyes when he was arrested by undercover policemen, according to the charge sheet.

SHARJAH: Authorities in Sharjah are implementing a new rule to relocate bachelors staying in villas in residential neighbourhoods into industrial areas or workers' accommodations. Villas in poor and unhygienic conditions will be demolished.

DUBAI: The UAE has temporarily banned import of animals with cloven hooves from Egypt, following reports of foot and mouth disease there. Environment and Water Minister Rashid Ahmad bin Fahad issued the order Tuesday.

DUBAI: Indians have topped the list of first-time property buyers in Dubai last year, having bought properties worth 2.1 billion dirhams (Rs 292 crore), Dubai Land Department data has revealed.
"The Indians topped the list of new investors in Dubai properties and conducted 927 transactions worth 2.1 billion dirhams. This represents 16 per cent of the overall value of transactions carried out by new investors," the department said.

DUBAI: Two people died while five others sustained moderate to severe injuries in accidents since Tuesday night, Dubai Police's Traffic Department announced on Thursday. So far, 14 people have lost their lives in road accidents in Dubai this month, bringing the total from the beginning of the year to 25. Major-General Mohammad Saif Al Zafein, director of the department, said the first accident occurred at 9.30pm on Tuesday on a heavily congested Shaikh Zayed Road when a motorcyclist, who was dr

ABU DHABI: The national identity card registration deadline for residents of Abu Dhabi ends tomorrow and the delay fees will be applied from the next day. The fee for delay in registering for or renewing the Emirates ID card is Dh20 per day, with a maximum of Dh1,000. In the case of renewal of the ID card, the delay fee will be imposed from 30 days after the expiry date.

Abu Dhabi: From April onwards, residents in Dubai must register for an Emirates ID card immediately after applying for a residence visa, a senior official at the Emirates Identity Authority (Eida) confirmed on Tuesday. This follows the linking of six major Preventive Medicine Centres (PMCs) in Dubai with the ID card registration process, Dr Ali Al Khouri, director general at the Eida told Gulf News.